


A Lotus In Winter

by strawberrylovely



Category: Shance - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece, Angst, Basically, Flirting, Flowers, Fluff, Hades and Persephone AU, Happy Ending, Love at First Sight, M/M, Shance Flower Exchange, it’s H&P you can expect some death lol, shance, the MCD isn’t so bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 15:17:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14499849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylovely/pseuds/strawberrylovely
Summary: Lance, the adopted son of Persephone, had only ever known three things in his life: the safety of the forest, the dangers of the pond, and his mother’s unconditional love. That is, until he meets a hunter named Shiro and falls head over heels into a love that will take him farther than he’s ever gone before.





	A Lotus In Winter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angelsin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsin/gifts).



> happy spring! this is my gift for darlinglotor on tumblr from the shance flower exchange! a hades and persephone au is something i’ve been wanting to write for a while, and then with the flower exchange i thought, what better time to write it? i hope you enjoy! (and i promise, the major character death warning isn’t as bad as you’d expect. this is a hades and persephone au after all.)

The day the first lotus of spring bloomed was the day a beautiful baby boy was brought into the world. However, only minutes after he was born, the little one was tossed off the edge of a waterfall, punished merely for the act of being born male.

Persephone happened to be nearby, tending to a small garden of alstroemeria in a clearing of the forest when she heard a tiny scream and an even tinier splash. By the time she had made it to the water’s edge, there was no one to be found. But before she could return to her alstroemeria, a ripple disturbed the lotus beside her, and she dipped a hand under the water to pull it up.

The stem of the lotus wrapped around the small body, a tiny baby boy whose life was unfair to him as soon as it had begun. Persephone took pity on him, breathing life back into his little body as small coughs brought the water from his lungs. She’d found him just in time.

Her very own lotus, as she called him. Lance, from the land he was harvested from, but lotus from the flower he was presented with. The goddess brought him back to her place of dwelling in the forest. Kept him and raised him there, her protege and fostered son, who would grow into a young man with a kind heart for animals and a skill with flora to match her own.

 

“Where have you been?”

“Out,” the young man responded as he walked through the front door far past sunset.

Her skill wasn’t the only thing he’d gotten from her. Her sharp wit, feisty attitude, flirty nature, and most of all, rebelliousness, he’d inherited as well.

“I was worried about you. It’s late,” the young woman’s voice flitted across the small cottage. She hadn’t exactly been the best at parenting, what with Lance being, quite literally, sprung on her, but she did her best at raising him to appreciate all forms of life, including his. “You have work in the morning.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I just... The moon was so beautiful tonight and I love the way the stars dance on the pond in the dark.” Lance said, making his way to his bed to change out of his clothing. “I just lost track of time, is all.”

“The pond? Lance, you know how I feel about you being alone by the water.”

“I know, but I’m not a child anymore. I can handle myself near water without falling in.”

“I know you can.” Persephone stood from her seat at the table and walked over to the boy. “You’re a bright young man, but your will for adventure tends to get you in trouble. You remind me of myself when I was young.”

“You’re still young. You could pass as my sister.”

“Well, that’s what comes with being a goddess. Youth... and invincibility,” the woman said. She sighed, placing a soft hand on his cheek when he smiled at her. “You are strong, but you’re more fragile than I am, more human than I’ll ever be. I’m always frightened to lose you.”

“I know, mother.”

He knew Persephone wasn’t his biological mother, that he’d been tossed out like waste. But she was the closest to a mother he’d ever had, and he loved her more than anything else in the world.

“I’m leaving for the Underworld tomorrow morning, so I won’t be here to protect you. You’re old enough now to stay here by yourself, but you must promise me that you won’t do anything dangerous while I’m gone.”

“I won’t,” he promised, and gave her a hug goodnight. “Have fun with Hades.”

“Thank you, my lotus,” the woman said, kissing his forehead. “Now get to bed or I’ll have my mother come and babysit you while I’m gone. You know how she gets.”

“I’m going!”

 

~

 

Lance’s daily job while his mother was away was to tend to the open expanse of land in the forest until the first snowfall of winter: the garden near the cottage, the alstroemeria around (but not too close to) the pond, and, if he finished early, he was allowed to bring up new wildflowers into the outer edges of the trees.

Of course, Lance rushed through his work, doing a good enough job to at least say he’d finished, so that he could watch the fish from the water’s edge while the sun was still out.

The sun was shining brightly over the pond, reflecting twinkling light like stars with every tiny ripple. He saw his own reflection within the clear blue, as if the water itself was looking at him with a smile. Lance loved the water. He loved how it bounced and ebbed along, small waves lapping against the earth near his toes from the waterfall at the other end. He loved the coolness of it against his feet — the most he’d dare go for fear of his mother’s wrath should she find out.

 

He didn’t see the big deal his mother made. It was just water, it wasn’t like it would hurt him. And he wasn’t a kid anymore, he knew better than to drown.

After looking around to make sure he was alone, he carefully dipped a toe under the water.

“Oh!” he said, not realizing how cold it would be. Slowly, he pushed the rest of his foot beneath the surface, twirling it around in circles and creating small waves that rippled through his reflection.

How calm and peaceful the world seemed, the warmth of the sun beating down onto his tan skin while the coolness of the water tickled up to his ankle as he balanced on one foot. He let out a small laugh, giddy like a child on his birthday.

The crack of a twig sounded from the trees, forcing Lance to whip his head around, frozen in fear. There was no sign of someone coming to scold him, nor a deer gently grazing the grass through the foliage. In fact, Lance saw nothing in the trees. Nothing at all, until a slight movement in the shadows caused the sun to glint over the sharp head of an arrow, pointed straight towards him.

He gasped, scared for his life, and tried to make a run for it, but instead his foot caught on itself and he lost his balance, splashing into the cold water with a shout.

Bubbles blurred his vision as he opened his eyes. He was in the pond. He’d never been under water like this before. Everything was blue around him, and the sun looked like a funny mosaic from above. It was new and different and felt as threatening as it was thrilling. He loved the numbness washing over him, the cold tingling his arms and face in a way he’d never experienced before.

Was this how sirens felt? Or were they used to it in a way he wasn’t?

Lance’s fingers wiggled in front of him, little bubbles forming between them and floating to the top. He felt his hair flow freely as the water passed through it, tickling his head. The water embraced him, and he thought he could stay there forever.

But then a shock ran through his body and suddenly he felt _too_ cold. Too embraced. Too...suffocated.

He couldn’t breathe.

He opened his mouth, but was only met with a sharp intake of water, the air in his lungs replaced as he swallowed mouthfuls in his search for a breath. His legs kicked out and he tried to swim to the surface, thrashing his arms to get to the air he so desperately needed, when a hand closed around his wrist and pulled him up.

The water spewed from his mouth as he coughed violently onto the ground, finally able to breathe again.

“Are you alright?” he heard a man’s voice say above him.

Wait. A man?

Lance jerked back, hands clutching onto the harsh grass behind his back in an effort to ground himself. In front of him, a tall human man with broad shoulders and shaggy black hair was staring down at him with a worried expression. A bow was placed around his back, and Lance realized that not only had this man just saved him, but he was also the one that had been pointing an arrow directly at him. 

“You...were going to shoot me,” Lance breathed heavily.

“No! I- I mean, yes, but it’s not what you think,” the stranger said hurriedly, trying to excuse himself. “I thought you were a deer.”

“Oh, so you were going to kill an innocent deer, then,” Lance snapped.

“...I’m a hunter. That’s what I do.”

The man smiled sheepishly, and Lance couldn’t help but think it was cute. Even if he did murder innocent creatures.

“Well, thanks for saving me, but I don’t hang around with murderers, so if you’ll excuse me...”

He started to get up, but a shiver ran through him and gave him pause. In a second, the man’s hand was gripping his arm, helping him to stand.

“You’re trembling,” the stranger said, his hold still firm on Lance.

“I’m wet and cold, what did you expect?” the brunet said, pulling his arm away.

Lance knew he was being short to a complete stranger, one who had just saved his life, at that, but it was also this stranger’s fault he’d fallen in the first place, so he felt as if a bit of curtness was due.

“Here, let me…”

The hunter unbuckled his quiver and dropped it to the ground, pulling off his hooded cape to place around Lance’s shoulders.

Lance felt instantly warmer now that the cape was around him. The man’s body heat lingered on the fabric and into Lance’s cold frame, and he instinctively pulled the sides closed around his chest and arms.

“Is that better?” the hunter asked.

The boy simply nodded in response, still not sure he should trust this stranger. But there was a kindness in his eyes that made Lance’s heartbeat quicken as the man smiled at him.

“I’m sorry for startling you. And I promise, I’m not a murderer. I only hunt so that I can eat.”

“Why don’t you just grow food like a normal person?”

“I would,” the stranger said with a gentle laugh, “but the land I live on isn’t farmable, nor do I have the money to buy produce every day.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. The man had a point, but Lance still didn’t believe in killing animals. Animals were his friends, and if this man hunted animals...

“I’m Shiro,” the stranger said, disrupting Lance’s thoughts, and held out a hand towards him.

Lance gave the hand a strange look, not sure why Shiro was holding it in front of him, but figured it was some sort of strange greeting.

“Lance,” he said, and held out his own hand in front of him like the other man had.

Shiro laughed, and Lance suddenly worried that maybe he’d held out his arm incorrectly.

“What?”

“I’ve just never seen anyone do that before,” Shiro explained.

“Well that’s what you did!”

“Yes, but… you’re supposed to take my hand.”

“What? But I don’t know you,” Lance said, pulling the cloak back around himself.

“That’s the point,” Shiro said. “It’s a way of greeting. You’ve never shaken hands before?”

Lance shook his head.

“Here, I’ll show you. Hold out your hand.”

Lance was skeptical, but he obliged, holding out his hand like Shiro had before.

“When two men greet each other, they either grab arms, like this,” Shiro grabbed Lance’s forearm with his opposite hand and firmly held it in demonstration. “Or like this.” His hand then slid down and took hold of Lance’s, moving up and down slowly. “But sometimes,” Shiro continued, “when a man meets a wom- uh, someone...lovely, he’ll do this.”

Shiro turned Lance’s hand palm down and slowly lifted it to his lips, pressing a warm kiss to the middle knuckle. His eyes remained fixed on Lance’s face the whole time, deep silver looking up through dark lashes. Lance felt himself blush.

“Does this mean you think I’m...lovely?” he teased, carefully taking back his hand.

“No,” Shiro said, and Lance hated the way his own face fell.

The man then bent down and plucked one of the flowers that had trailed onto the grass when Lance was pulled from the water. He twirled it around in his fingers for a moment before moving into Lance, who flinched before he felt a hand placing the stem behind his ear.

“I think you’re beautiful,” Shiro said, smiling down at Lance. “Like a lotus.”

Lance’s face felt hot as the wind knocked out of his lungs for a second time that day. His heart raced at how close they were standing. At how close this man was. This human.

He’d never met another human before. Sure, he himself was mostly human, but his mother, Persephone, had never let him venture into town. Not that he minded. He was happy in the forest, and he had enough company with the animals and the few gods that had visited their little cottage.

But humans were different. They were more fragile — as Lance had been reminded time and time again — and their emotions were uninhibited, reckless, and even dangerous. Lance had never understood what his mother meant when she warned of “fickle human emotions,” but suddenly this handsome stranger, who he still didn’t know if he trusted, had just kissed his hand and called him beautiful, and Lance was pretty sure he was in love.

“O-Oh...” he finally responded, letting out a small breath.

A faint blush appeared on Shiro’s cheeks and the man took a step back. Lance felt a small wave a relief knowing he wasn’t the only bashful one.

“It’s getting late,” Shiro said, clearing his throat. “Could I offer you a stay in my home for the evening? I can make a fire for you to warm up and-”

“No, thank you. My...mother would be worried,” he said, not really lying. He knew should his mother find out when she returned that a stranger had whisked him away to the town, she would have a fit. Especially if it turned out Shiro really was a murderer and he never returned.

“Oh!” Shiro said, stopping Lance before he could walk away. “Then let me walk you home.”

“That’s alright. I’m already home.” Lance looked around the small clearing, his own house hidden just behind the trees.

“So, you live...here?” Shiro asked.

“Yes.”

“In the forest?”

“Yes,” Lance emphasized with a nod.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Not at all. My mother and I have lived here my whole life. In fact, she’ll be back from the fields soon, so I should probably get going,” he lied. As much as he loved talking to Shiro, he promised his mother he wouldn’t get into trouble. Hanging around Shiro too long...sounded like trouble.

Lance unwrapped himself from Shiro’s cape and handed it back to him. “Thank you,” he said. “You’ve been so kind... For a murderer.”

He gave Shiro a smile, and the hunter returned it with the shake of his head.

“Wow,” he said. Lance was about to ask just what exactly he meant by that, thank you very much, when the cloak was pushed back into his hands. “Please, Lance, you keep it.”

“I- But don’t you need it?”

“I have another at home. Besides, I think you need it more than I do.”

Lance stared for a moment at the steel blue fabric, slightly discolored in a few spots from being wet, and then looked back to Shiro, before pulling the cape back around his shoulders.

“There,” Shiro beamed. “It suits you far more than it does me.”

“Ah- Yes. Well. Thank you, again,” Lance said, and dipped his head. “Then, um, if you’ll excuse m-”

“When can I see you again?”

“...What?”

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know we just met, but I can’t help but feel...drawn to you. And I’d very much like to meet with you again — if that’s alright with you, of course. So… _Can_ I see you again?”

This man was persistent, Lance would give him that. And he’d been nothing but sweet the entire time they’d spoken. His eyes were gentle, his voice, gentler, and his rough hands had a tender warmth that someone of his strength normally wouldn’t. Lance didn’t know how, but he’d fallen under Shiro’s spell, intrigued by another of his own kind, wanting to get closer and learn more about humans. Or, one human, specifically.

“I tend to the forest every day until the first snowfall,” Lance said, turning around playfully as he started to walk away.

“So, you’ll be here-”

“Everyday,” Lance said, looking back at Shiro with a growing smile.

“Okay. Then tomorrow… I’ll come back tomorrow.” Shiro picked up his bow and quiver, and slung it over his back, securing it with the buckle. “Goodnight, Lance.”

“Goodnight to you, Shiro.”

Lance watched as the hunter backed away towards the trees, keeping his eyes on Lance as if he was scared the brunet would disappear the second he looked away. He gave a silly little wave as he reached the edge of the clearing, and Lance returned it, loving the way the man’s face lit up before he disappeared through the woods.

The lotus Shiro had tucked behind his ear was still in place as Lance walked back to the cottage. He pulled it away and twirled it between his fingers, just as Shiro had done before. Despite the faint wilting, it was lovely, a soft pink that faded to white on each of the delicate petals. A symbol of purity, beauty, and devotion, as his mother had taught him. He wondered if Shiro knew it’s meaning when placing it in his hair.

Inside the house, Lance hung his new cloak on his bed frame and went to the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, he found a small glass and filled it with water. He dropped the lotus inside, and touched a finger to a few of the petals, watching as the flower became unwilted once again — growing stronger as it bloomed to its full potential. Lance’s own reflection of his newly budded interest towards the stranger with kind eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! just wanted to pop in real quick and let everyone know that this story isn’t over yet! and i’m not abandoning it! i just needed to take a little hiatus as i work on other things, but eventually i will be back to finish this story, i promise! thank you for your patience and for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this fic, please leave a comment to let me know! Thank you so much for reading! <3


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